ENGLISH
REFERENCE

complaining

v.
A2 Elementary US //kəmˈpɫeɪnɪŋ// UK //kəmplˈeɪnɪŋ// com·plain·ing

v. saying that you are unhappy or not satisfied with something. You do this when you want to tell someone that something is wrong, painful, or annoying.

v. expressing dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment about a situation or person. The present participle form of 'complain', often used to describe a persistent habit of vocalizing grievances.


SIMPLE

He is always complaining about the cold weather.

CONTEXTUAL

The customers were complaining to the manager because their food took over an hour to arrive.

COMPLEX

Despite the long hours and difficult working conditions, the staff continued their duties without complaining, demonstrating a remarkable level of professional resilience.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Usage

Intransitive verb; typically followed by the prepositions 'about' (for the subject of dissatisfaction) or 'to' (for the recipient of the message).

Pitfall

She is complaining for the noise.She is complaining about the noise.Learners often use 'for' instead of 'about' or 'of' when stating the reason for their dissatisfaction.

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